Henry p



ill,

(No Model.)

H. F. COOK.

WATCH CASE SPRING.

No. 339,860 Patented Apr. 13, 1886.

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N. PETERS PholnLh L n UNITED STATES PATENT OF ICE.

HENRY F. COOK, OF SAG HARBOR, NFAV YORK, ASSIGNOR TO THE FAHYS \VATCH CASE COMPANY, OF SAME PLACE.

WATCH-CASE SPRING.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Application filed December 29, 1885.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HENRY F. COOK, a citizen of the United States, residing at Sag Harbor, in the county of Suffolk and State of New York, haveinvented new and useful Improvements in \Vatch Case Springs, of which the following is a specification.

The springs ordinarily used in hunting-case watches for locking the cap or cover and for throwing the same open when released are very difficult to insert into the case-center, and, besides, as they usually consist of a thin springplate on the end of a thick body-piece, they soon lose theirinherent elasticity, and thereby I 5 become inefficient in use. In addition to the above, the ordinary springs are diflicult of manufacture, and require considerable metal in their production.

Prior to my invention a watch-case spring has been composed of a strip of sheet metal of uniform thickness throughout; but in such it is necessary to form a bend in the body of the spring,which rests against the movementring, and by which the latter serves to confine the 5 spring in place. This construction of casespring is also difficult of proper insertioninto the case-center, and rendersit inconvenient to introduce the movement-ring, besides which the spring is easily displaced if said ring he re- 0 moved. To avoid these objections and provide a novel, eiiieient, and comparatively inexpensive spring which can be conveniently inserted into the case-center are the objects of my invention, and these objects I accomplish in the 3 5 manner and by the means hereinafter described and claimed, reference being made to the accompanying drawings, illustrating my inven tion, in which Figure 1 is a perspective view of a watchcase with the cap or cover open and the movemerit-holding ring omitted; Fig. 2, a sectional view taken on the line it a; of Fig. 1; Fig. 3, a similar view taken on the line y 3/ of Fig. 1; Fig. 4, a detached perspective view of the spring for locking the cap or cover, and Fig. 5 a similar view of the spring for throwing the cap or cover open when released by the locking-spring.

In order to enable those skilled in the art to Patent No, 339,860, dated April 13, 1886.

Serial No. 187,034. (Xe model.)

make and use my invention, I willnow describe the same in detail, referring to the drawings, where the numeral 1 indicates the lockingspring, which is composed of a thin strip of steel or any other sheet metal suitable for the conditions required, having one end bent laterally to form a foot-piece, 2, which bears at its thin extremity or biting-edge 3 directly against the inner side of the case. The upper or front edge of the spring, between its ends,

is bent laterally in an outward direction to form a flange, 4, which is provided with one or more orifices, 5. This flange, as shown, is located nearer the locking end 6 of the spring than the foot-piece 2, and such flange bears by its curved edge against the inner side of the case-center, where it is secured by a pin or screw, 7 ,passed through the cap-flat of the case center and entering the orifice in the flange. By extending the flange 4 outwardly from the convex surface of the spring, as shown, and causing its outer curved edge to bear directly against the inside of the casecenter, the free acting end of the spring is normally held away from the case'center, and the flange becomes,

as it were, a fulcrum or bearing to cause the spring to act very eflicientl y. Besidesby causing the curved edge of the flange to bear against the case-center, the attaching-screw T is re lieved of strain and pressure in its action, which is importantinthatsuch screws arenec- 8o essarily small. As the ease-center bears the pressure, the screw is not liable to work loose or break by reason of the frequent movements of the acting end of the spring. I may provide this flange with a series of such orifices, 8 5 as indicated by dotted lines, Fig. 4-, in order to adapt the spring to watch-eases of varying sizes.

The spring 8 for throwing the cap or cover open is of substantially the same construction 0 as the loekingspring, it having one end bent to form the foot-piece 2, and being provided with the lateral flange 4, having one or more orifices, 5, to receive the pin or screw T,\vhich is passed through the flat of the case-center.

The construction of the spring with its flange for receiving the screw or pin permits me to dispense with the shoulders or abntments or Z OGIJIOUU dinarily secured in the case-center to abut-the ends of the springs and prevent their longitudinal displacement.

According to my invention I am enabled to provide eflicient watch-case springs which can be very conveniently inserted into the case center, and which will not readily lose their inherent elasticity, while the cost of manufacture is materially reduced.

These springs,being of substantially the same thickness throughout, are rendered very durable, and the liability of breakage is avoided.

Heretofore a flat metal watch case spring has been provided with a lateral flange between its ends, which extends inwardly toward the center of the watch-case, and is secured by a screw. Such construction cannot, however,

accomplish the objects of myinvention, and is flat strip of metal bent laterally at one end to 1 form a foot-piece, and provided at one edge, intermediate its ends, with a lateral flange ex- 2 5 tending outwardly from the convex surface of the strip to bear directly against the inside of the case-center, substantially as and for the purposes described.

2. The combination, with the case-center of 0 a watch, of a spring consisting of a curvedflat strip of metal bent laterally at one end to form the foot-piece 2, and having at one edge, intermediate its ends, a lateral flange, 4, extending outwardly to and bearing directly against 3 5 the inside of the case-center, and a screw or pin passing through the cap-flat of the casecenter into said flange, substantially as and for the purposes described.

In testimony whereof Iafiix my signature in 40 presence of two witnesses.

HENRY F. COOK.

Vitnesses:

F. S. SHERRY, ALFRED N. REA. 

